The Relocated Jurong East Bus Interchange is an interim bus interchange located at Jurong East Central, serving the town of Jurong East. As part of the Jurong Regional Centre, it connects to many public amenities such as Jurong East MRT Station, JCube, Jurong Regional Library, Westgate, JEM and Jurong Community Hospital / Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
The relocated interchange, which opens on 6 December 2020, replaces the first Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange (2011 – 2020) located beside Jurong East MRT station, making it the second temporary interchange in Jurong East, despite LTA having formally dropped the ‘temporary’ designation. The site of the first interim interchange, which lasted nine years, would be demolished to make way for the Jurong Region Line station and a future Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) projected for completion in 2027.
With the relocation of the bus interchange on 6 December 2020, several bus service amendments will take place.
Summary of bus amendments:
- All bus services (except Services 78, 79, CW3, CW4, CW4S) relocated to new temporary bus interchange
- Bus Service 78 amended to start/end at Jurong Gateway Road, without entering the new temporary bus interchange
- Bus Service 79 amended to Boon Lay – Jurong Gateway Road (Loop)
- Bus Services 97, 97e, 197 and 333 to skip Jurong East Central
- Causeway Link cross-border services CW3, CW4, CW4S amended to Venture Drive
- New bus stop (28199 – Opp JEM) along Jurong Gateway Road for Service 333
- Alighting-only bus stop (28211 – bef Jurong East Station) along Jurong Gateway Road for bus services entering Jurong East Temp Int from the west (Services 41, 51, 52, 78, 98/98M, 105, 143/143M, 183, 334, 335)
Main Article: Bus Service changes for the Relocation of Jurong East Bus Interchange
Details:
| Name | Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange | 裕廊东临时巴士转换站 |
| Address | 17A Jurong Gateway Road, Singapore 608513 |
| BCM Route Package | Bulim Bus Package |
| Anchor Operator | Tower Transit |
| Bus Routes | 12 (Tower Transit), 6 (SBS Transit) |
| Berths | 7 sawtooth boarding berths, 4 linear alighting berths |
| Rail Connection | NS1EW24 Jurong East |
The interchange:
Jurong East Bus Interchange is located in the residential town of Jurong East, bordered by Jurong Town Hall Road, Jurong East Street 12,
Jurong Gateway Road and Jurong East Central 1. Connecting with Jurong East MRT Station along the North South Line and East West Line, the interchange is a transport node for commuters heading in and out of residential estates within Jurong East, as well as the Penjuru and Toh Guan industrial areas, allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange.
The relocated Jurong East Temporary Interchange opened on 6 December 2020, having moved from the first temporary interchange . The interchange has a single vehicular concourse area with a combined entrance/exit leading to a signalized junction along Jurong Gateway Road. The interchange concourse offers a linear alighting berth for 4 buses, and seven sawtooth boarding berths. All berths at the interchange are wheelchair-accessible.
Interchange Facilities:
- Interchange Offices / Passenger Service Offices (SBS Transit & Tower Transit)
- Barrier-free Boarding & Alighting berths
- Bicycle Racks
- Staff lounge
- NTWU Canteen
- Information boards
- Bus departure timing displays
- Service guide racks
- Retail outlets
- Public Toilets
- Nursing Rooms
The LTA has touted improvements that benefit both commuters and public transport workers, such as more spacious boarding points at each of the seven berths and graduated kerb edges to facilitate boarding for passengers in wheelchairs. A bus berth availability system will also be installed near the bus park, signalling to bus captains when their berths are available. This will mitigate the risk of congestion within the smaller interchange space. In addition, high-volume low-speed fans have also been installed at the concourse area for better air circulation.
There will also be more facilities that cater to the needs of the elderly, less mobile and families with young children, including four barrier-free alighting areas, priority queue zones with seats, a nursing room and barrier-free toilets. 64 bicycle parking lots will be available for those who cycle.
The interchange will also come with upgraded facilities for public transport workers such as an air-conditioned staff canteen, dedicated staff toilets and a staff lounge.
Posters – Changes to Bus Services
Main Article: Bus Service changes for the Relocation of Jurong East Bus Interchange
Bus Services:
| Service | Berth | Destination | Remarks |
| 41 | ↺ Jalan Anak Bukit | ||
| 49 | ↺ Jurong West Street 42 | ||
| 51 | Hougang Central | ||
| 51A | Pandan Gardens (Blk 407) | Short Trip Service | |
| 52 |
Bishan | ||
| 66 |
Bedok | ||
| 66B | Serangoon Road (Tekka Ctr) | Short Trip Service | |
| 97 | Marina Centre | ||
| 97e | Marina Centre | Peak Hour Unidirectional / Express Service | |
| 98 |
↺ Jurong Pier Way | ||
| 98M |
↺ Corporation Road | ||
| 105 | Serangoon | ||
| 105B | Commonwealth Avenue West (Clementi Stn Exit B) | Short Trip Service | |
| 143 |
Toa Payoh | ||
| 143M |
↺ Pandan Gardens | ||
| 160 | ↺ JB Sentral | Cross-Border Service via Causeway | |
| 160A | Bukit Batok Road (Opp Dunearn Sec Sch) | Short Trip Service | |
| 160M | ↺ Bukit Batok Road | ||
| 183 | ↺ Science Park Road | ||
| 183B | Toh Tuck Avenue (Aft Toh Tuck Link) | Short Trip Service | |
| 197 | Bedok | ||
| 333 | ↺ Jurong East Street 32 | ||
| 334 | ↺ Jurong West Street 42 | ||
| 335 | ↺ Jurong West Avenue 1 | ||
| 506 |
Upper East Coast | Express Service |
Berth Allocation:
| Berth | Bus Services |
| A1 – A4 | For Alighting Only |
| B1 | |
| B2 | |
| B3 | |
| B4 | |
| B5 | |
| B6 | |
| B7 |
Interim Berth Allocation
In March 2020, signs within the interim bus interchange have been put up indicating the possible berth arrangements:
| Berth | Services |
| A1 – A4 | For Alighting Only |
| B1 | 52, 105/105B, 197 |
| B2 | 51/51A, 160/160A/160M, 506 |
| B3 | 334 |
| B4 | 98, 98M, 333 |
| B5 | 97, 97e, 183/183B |
| B6 | 41, 49, 66/66B |
| B7 | 143, 143M, 335 |
Gallery
Construction
History (1985 – 2020):
Jurong East Bus Interchange opened on Sunday, 30th June 1985, located at 155 Jurong East Street 13 and opposite CPF Jurong Building (northwest of Jurong East MRT station). The airy and spacious interchange housed many bus services were transferred from Teban Gardens Bus Terminal and several which were rerouted from Jurong Bus Interchange. Apart from benefiting commuters living in Jurong East or working in nearby industrial areas, the interchange also catered to cross-border commuters taking buses to Malaysia, via the Second Link.
In the 2000s, initial concept plans released for the Jurong Lake District revealed plans for a new Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) at Jurong East. Located at the existing site of Jurong East Bus Interchange and underneath the NSL/EWL viaducts, the ITH would form part of an integrated commercial and transport development northwest of Jurong East MRT Station.
These plans were released as surrounding plots of land were being tendered out to private developers. The construction of Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange (Reference No.: VT330) was awarded at a sum of S$5.98 million in February 2011. Jurong West Street 12, which formerly passed underneath Jurong East MRT Station, was expunged in tandem with redevelopment works.
On 17 December 2011, Jurong East Interchange was closed and operations shifted to the nearby Jurong East Temporary Interchange, located west of the MRT station and opposite the shopping mall JCube. The temporary interchange was expected to last several years while the old bus interchange site was redeveloped.
However, plans for the future ITH underneath Jurong East’s viaducts failed to materialize due to reasons unknown. At the same time, plans were underway to build the Jurong Region Line at Jurong East, and Land Transport Authority (LTA)’s plans for a multi-storey headquarters complex next to Buona Vista MRT station was shelved due to cost concerns. Eventually, in April 2017, it was announced that both the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and LTA would be housed in a new integrated complex to be built next to Jurong East MRT station, on the very site occupied by the Temporary Bus Interchange which opened 2011. In addition, the new integrated complex was to include Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub, formally acknowledging the change of plans regarding the siting of Jurong East ITH.
As a result, a had to be built to replace Jurong East Temporary Bus Interchange (2011–2020), which had to be cleared for redevelopment work. This was built across the road from Jurong East MRT, bordered by Jurong Town Hall Road, Jurong Gateway Road, JTC Summit, JCube and Jurong Regional Library.
To facilitate the construction, Gateway Link was closed and Jurong East Street 12 was widened from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. Construction of the second interim bus interchange (Design and Construction of Bus Interchange and its Associated Works at Jurong Gateway Road | Reference No.: DE108) was awarded at a cost of S$20.89 million to Kim Seng Heng Engineering Construction (Pte) Ltd / DP Engineers Pte Ltd in December 2017. The expected completion date was August 2019.
Following construction delays further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the second interim bus interchange (simply named Jurong East Bus Interchange) only opened on 6 December 2020. The relocated interim bus interchange has dropped the use of the “Temporary Bus Interchange” namesake, similar to that of Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange which opened in December 2018, possibly to avoid connotations of having to replace these facilities with permanent bus interchanges (i.e. Integrated Transport Hubs) in the near future.
Due to its small size, not all existing bus services were able to be relocated to the new interchange – Bus Services 78 and 79 only stops outside the interchange, along Jurong Gateway Road. A 230-metre sheltered pedestrian overpass connected the relocated interchange to Jurong East MRT Station.
In addition to Jurong East Bus Interchange relocating to an ITH in the future, the LTA also planned to build another bus interchange nearby at Venture Drive. The construction contract was awarded in March 2020, and scheduled for completion by 2023. More details at: Venture Drive Bus Interchange.
References
- MOT, LTA plan joint office in Jurong East – Straits Times
- Relocation of Jurong East Bus Interchange from 6 December 2020 – Land Transport Authority
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